Welcome to the Psychodrama Research blog! The blog is a place to find resources devoted to research in Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy. The listserv is a tool for communicating with others who share such interests. No prior experience is needed, just a desire to participate. We welcome beginners, experienced researchers and those who may be on the fence considering whether they want to test the research waters. Open minds all invited. We began as an email list, moved briefly to a google group, but hope this is more user friendly.

The idea is to offer places to exchange ideas, ask questions, get feedback, run research designs by interested others, think things through together, find collaborators, get suggestions, share instruments, and generally encourage and foster research projects in the field, or, for that matter, in related fields. On the blog there will be postings and bibliographies, articles, websites, videos or links to them that are in line with our interests. Maybe we will even run some drafts by one another to get reactions. Constructive criticism and thoughtful discussion are grist for the mill. The listserv should be useful to discuss whatever is up relating to research and writing. When you want a particular person or few people to respond, please write to that person or persons directly to avoid cluttering up others’ email.

Research and writing in the practice are not only important to the future of the field, they are intriguing and exciting. Instruments others have found useful may be helpful to you. Ways to get around design problems can be discussed. Materials that you have found that others may not have seen can be shared. Let’s see what kind of good work we can stir up and support one another in doing!

We have a blog and associated listserv. Anyone can post to the listserv. Posts to the blog will go through the moderator. Both will have archived material so old stuff can be accessed. To keep the listserv discussion moving, please post in short messages– up to, say, 3 brief paragraphs, and, of course, please try to make the material of general interest. Making use of links will be concise and efficient. If you have a more particular communication to make, please send it to the individual or few you address directly and not to the list. If you have a paper you think people should read, a survey you want to put out, a bibliography to share, or any longer piece of material, suggest it to the list moderator for the blog at ericahollander@comcast.net .

If you don’t want to be included in the list, send a note to ericahollander@comcast.net. How does that all sound?

Provided is a general overview of the main aspects of the methods to be employed. More details can and will be provided. However, consistent with the first principle, simplicity is the by-word.

Research Design/Approach

The approach will purposely combine important components of various models, so is not distinctly any one, nor easy to characterize. Aspects of Naturalisitic, Meta-Analytic, Action, Large Sample, Large-scale Survey, Bench-marking, Case/Anecdotal, Evaluation, Outcome, and Feminist models are incorporated.

Research Question

Is Psychodrama, as an intervention modality, demonstrably (empirically) effective?

Participants

Participants are from two levels: providers and recipients.

Service/experience providers. As many psychodramatists (and other therapist/facilitators), worldwide, as are willing to collect data on at least one psychodrama (or other similar) experience.

Service/experience recipients. All clients/patients/students (or similar) who are willing to reflect on the experiences offered by the previously indicated providers and allow their data to be included in the study.

The five universal scales. (See Appendix 1.) Each universal scale is a single dimension/item, applicable to any of the situations/settings in which the providers practice. Each is designed to measure the Gestalt of a participant’s experience in the indicated dimension. They are not exhaustive, but are intended to reflect important and relevant dimensions common to human experiences of change. They scales are self-report measures. The scales are continuous, visual analogues, with gradations marked each .1, in case that degree of precision is desired. Participants indicate their ratings by marking with a vertical line at the points they want to indicate. Reliability, content/face/and construct validity, readability level, and language equivalence for all language versions, will be addressed.

Scale 1:Doing Well

Indicate how positive you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: capable, resilient, confident, empowered, adaptable, spontaneous, creative, prepared, knowledgeable, energized, and so forth.

Scale 2: Distress

Indicate how down you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: uncertain, unprepared, guilty, defensive, ashamed, and so forth.

Scale 3: Connectedness

Indicate how close you feel to others in your life. Include experiences of feeling: accepted, connected, supported, belonging, understood, and so forth.

Scale 4: Helpfulness

Indicate how helpful the experience/intervention has been for you. Include reactions of feeling: encouraged, supported, better prepared, more knowledgeable, assured, and so forth.

Scale 5: Harm

Indicate how much harm/hurt the experience/intervention has done you. Include experiences of feeling: wounded, threatened, overwhelmed, caught off guard, coerced, and so forth.

The effect size for change scores on the Distress (D) scale will be negative and practically significant.

H3. Psychodramatic intervention will significantly impact connectedness. The mean change score on the Connectedness (C) scale will be significantly positive.

H1: µC > 0

The effect size for change scores on the Connectedness (C) scale will be positive and practically significant.

H4. Psychodramatic intervention will have a significant positive impact. The mean post-test score on the Helpfulness (He) scale will be significant.

H1: µHe > 0

The effect size for post-intervention scores on the Helpfulness (He) scale will be positive and practically significant.

H5. Psychodramatic intervention will not have a significant negative impact. The mean post-test score on the Harm (Ha) scale will not be significant.

H1: µHa > 0

The effect size for post-intervention scores on the Harm (Ha) scale will be negligible and practically insignificant

Procedures

Psychodramatists and other facilitator (service providers) will be contacted via email, postings to newsletters, and snowball-sampling to elicit participation in the study. The purpose, procedures, and requirements of the study will be explained. Informed Consent documents will be presented and explained. Only those participants willing to comply with the study protocol for the initial evaluation will do so, and no names or ID #’s will be included. For those willing to participate in a longitudinal follow-up, and/or other studies, space will included to allow for providing a name and contact information, or an ID#, if one has been previously assigned. Once an ID# has been assigned, the identifying information (name and contact data) will be removed from the data and filed separately, to ensure confidentiality.

Provider-participants will be asked to use the three scales pre and four scales post (negative impact scale being added to the post intervention assessment) for at least one session they conduct, to complete the Intervention Fidelity Checklist and the Demographic Questionnaire. (See announcement and informed consent for providers, Appendix 4.) They will be instructed in soliciting the permission of their service recipients’ data using the script the informed consent for recipients, Appendix 4.)

Recipient-participants will be asked to use the three scales pre and five scales post (positive [Helpfulness] and negative impact [Harm] scale being added to the post intervention assessment) for evaluating the chosen experience, and submit the anonymous demographic questionnaire.

Sessions will be conducted as they typically would be. After a session, recipient-participants will be offered the opportunity to submit their pre-post ratings on the four scales and the demographic questionnaire. Submission of the data will constitute recipient participant informed consent. These participants will also be offered the opportunity to be assigned an ID#, if they would be interested and willing to be involved further (e.g., other studies—longitudinal follow-up, evaluation of more specific interventions.)

Data from both level participants will be sent to a central data collection repository for entry, collation, and analysis.

The integration of the use of the outcome scales pre-post all sessions, to become part of the intervention process, will be one aim of the study. Doing so would allow a conscious and continual focus on intervention impact to become part of the psychodrama culture, provide a consistent orientation (warm-up) to sessions, and address one threat to internal validity (testing) of this and other research employing the scales as measures. (And also serve as a model for other therapeutic modalities.)

Language-version equivalence. After translation/back-translation protocol for accurately rendering instruments in another language have been implemented, the various language versions of the outcome scales will be analyzed for differential item functioning using Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis. The three parameter logistic model (IRT 3PL, Graded Response, Non-Rasch for Ordered Polytomous Data, de Ayala, 2009, p. 222) will be used to fit the data, to take into account the adjustment for possible social desirability influence. Different language versions will be linked/equated to ensure comparable metrics and converted to T-score scales to facilitate interpretation of results.

Readability. A readability analysis will be done to ensure scales can be adequately understood by participants. Readability level will be calculated and reported for each version and overall.

Content/face/construct validity. Scales will be submitted to three member expert panels for each language version to assess the validity of the scales for measuring the purported constructs. Inter-rater agreement will be calculated and reported for each version and overall.

Reliability. Appling the IRT 3PL(Graded Response, Non-Rasch for Ordered Polytomous Data, de Ayala, 2009, p. 222) Model, each scale’s reliability will be calculated and reported for each version and overall.

Preliminary Data Analysis. Summary statistics will be produced for each scale. Data will be analyzed for skewness, kurtosis, univariate and multivariate out-liers, sphericity and so forth, to ensure that the data meet the assumptions for the primary analyses. Required adjustments will be implemented (e.g., data transformations, elimination of outliers). Missing data, if any, will be addressed by using the IRT approach.

Primary Study Analyses. Three levels of primary analyses will be applied to the data to address the hypotheses stated previously—multivariate analysis, univariate analysis by scale, and meta-analysis by scale and overall.

Multivariate analysis. A Hotelling’s-T will calculated for the vector of scale mean change scores.

Univariate analysis. Univariate-t’s will calculated for the each scale mean change score.

Meta-analyses. The effect sizes will be calculated for each scale language version. These data will be subjected to meta-analytic techniques combining across scales and language versions.

Bench-marking analyses. The effect sizes will be calculated for each scale language version. These data will be subjected to meta-analytic techniques combining across scales and language versions and bench-marked with already Evidence based (perhaps empirically supported) interventions (e.g., CBT [cognitive behavioral therapy], DBT [dialectic behavioral therapy])

Appendix 1: Outcome Scales

Hay Outcome Scales

How Are You (HAY) Scales

Pre-Session

Scale 1:Doing Well

Indicate how positive you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: capable, resilient, confident, empowered, adaptable, spontaneous, creative, prepared, knowledgeable, energized, and so forth.

My sense of well I am doing is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 2: Distress

Indicate how down you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: uncertain, unprepared, guilty, defensive, ashamed, and so forth.

My degree of distress is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 3: Connectedness

Indicate how close you feel to others in your life. Include experiences of feeling: accepted, connected, supported, belonging, understood, and so forth.

My sense of being connected is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Post-Session

Scale 1:Doing Well

Indicate how positive you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: capable, resilient, confident, empowered, adaptable, spontaneous, creative, prepared, knowledgeable, energized, and so forth.

My sense of well I am doing is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 2: Distress

Indicate how down you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: uncertain, unprepared, guilty, defensive, ashamed, and so forth.

My degree of distress is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 3: Connectedness

Indicate how close you feel to others in your life. Include experiences of feeling: accepted, connected, supported, belonging, understood, and so forth.

My sense of being connected is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 4: Helpfulness

Indicate how helpful the experience/intervention has been for you. Include reactions of feeling: encouraged, supported, better prepared, more knowledgeable, assured, and so forth.

My sense of being helped is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 5: Harm

Indicate how much harm/hurt the experience/intervention has done you. Include experiences of feeling: wounded, threatened, overwhelmed, caught off guard, coerced, and so forth.

My sense of being harmed is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Appendix 2: Intervention Fidelity Checklist

Check if the following elements/aspects of psychodramatic intervention were present.

If you have mental health diagnosis and are willing to share it, please share it/them here:

Diagnosis/diagnoses

How many mental health/personal growth experiences have you had?

How many psychodramatic experiences have you had?

ID# (if already assigned):

Appendix 4: Informed Consents

(These IC’s are being reviewed, revised, and vetted—so are only initial versions)

Informed Consent: Experience Recipient

Title: Psychodrama Efficacy

Explanation and Purpose of Research

You are being asked to participate in a research study of the efficacy of psychodramatic interventions. You have been asked to participate in this study because you have chosen to participate in a psychodrama-like experience or one with which psychodrama-like experiences might be compared.

Description of Procedures

As a recipient-participant in this study you will be asked to indicate your reactions to your experience both prior to and after the experience. You will be asked to indicate your reactions by marking your ratings on four continua (visual analogue scales). You simply put a vertical line on the scale at the point that indicates you reaction. Three ratings are requested prior to your experience and four after it. You will also be asked a few demographic questions (such as race/ethnicity, age, and primary language). Total time involved should be about three minutes.

The researchers appreciate your time and commitment to this evaluation. Please recognize participation in this study is voluntary and you may withdraw from the study at any time by not submitting your reaction ratings and demographic questionnaire. The researchers encourage you to complete all items, but you are free to skip those that answering make you uncomfortable.

Participation and Benefits

Your involvement in this study is completely voluntary and you may withdraw from the study at any time, as indicated previously. Besides contributing to the evaluation of psychodrama efficacy, which may allow provision of and reimbursement for such services, reflecting on your psychological state by rating your reactions may enhance the benefits of your chosen experience.

Questions Regarding the Study

If you have any questions about the research study, please address them to the person(s) providing your experience, or you may contact the researchers. (Supply email address).

Potential Risks

The only possible risk, though unlikely, in this study is discomfort with the questions you are asked. If you experience psychological or emotional discomfort during the rating process, you may stop answering questions at any time and not submit the materials. All other aspects of the experience will be the same as if you choose not to participate. Any discomfort or problems with the experience in which you will be participating should be addressed to the facilitator(s) of that experience.

Unless you elect to participate beyond the arrangement already addressed, you should not be subject to any other risks, since data will not be linked to any identifying information. However, you may choose to participate further by being involved in follow-up assessments of your experience or other similar experiences. In these cases, you will be offered the option of being assigned an ID# to be associated with your data, and asked to provide contact information. Once an ID# is assigned, it will be associated with your data. The ID# and associated contact information will be kept separate from the research data and protected.

Potential risks related to your extended participation in the study may include loss of confidentiality, though unlikely. Confidentiality, as indicated, will be protected to the extent that is allowed by law.

Consent to Participate

Note: Your consent to participate in the basic/limited study is indicated by your submitting the seven scale ratings (three pre-experience and four post-experience) and the demographic questionnaire.

For extended participation, to indicate that you accept these terms, that you have read and understood the above statements, and that you give your informed consent to participate, please select “Yes” on either or both statements below.

If you are interested and willing to be contacted for a future evaluation of this experience, please circle

Yes

And provide your Name and Contact Address here (an ID# will be assigned you for anonymity).

Name (or ID# if assigned):

The following information is not needed if you already have been assigned and ID#.

Signature: Date:

Contact Information:

If you are interested and willing to be contacted for other experiences, please circle

Yes

And provide your information above (if you haven’t already).

Informed Consent: Experience Provider

Title: Psychodrama Efficacy

Explanation and Purpose of Research

You are being asked to participate in a research study of the efficacy of psychodramatic interventions. You have been asked to participate in this study because you have chosen to participate in a psychodrama-like experience or one with which psychodrama-like experiences might be compared.

Description of Procedures

As a provider-participant in this study you will be asked to familiarize yourself with the study materials (informed consent, outcome scales, and demographic questionnaire), ask prospective recipient-participants about their willingness to participate, supply them with the informed consent document and other study materials, and collect the materials from those who choose to participate at the end of the experience you provide. In some cases, due to the readability level of the instruments, you may be asked to read the scales to the recipient-participants. However, you are not expected or permitted to interpret or help them generate their responses. The session/experience you provide will not in any other way be different from what you would do if you weren’t participating in the study.

After providing the experience you will be asked to complete the Intervention Fidelity Checklist, theSession Data form, the Facilitator (Provider) Data form, and the demographic questionnaire. You will also be asked to send all materials, including the Experience Provider Informed Consent, to the researchers.

Total time involved will depend on the number of recipient participants, but should not be more than one hour for a particular experience provided.

The researchers appreciate your time and commitment to this assessment. Please recognize participation in this study is voluntary and you may withdraw from the study at any time by not submitting your materials. The researchers encourage you to complete all items, but you are free to skip those that answering make you uncomfortable.

Note: Your consent to participate is indicated by your submitting the study materials to the researchers, unless you opt for further participation (collecting information on other experiences you provide). In which case you will be assigned an ID# for aggregating data.

Potential Risks

No risks are anticipated. All aspects of the experience will be the same as if you choose not to participate. Any discomfort or problems with the experience that you will be providing should be minimal for you and the recipients beyond those you would anticipate from providing the experience outside the study. You should be prepared to handle situations that arise as you generally would, although in the unlikely event of a reaction to rating scale wording, you may have to deal with that reaction.

Unless you elect to participate beyond the arrangement already addressed, you should not be subject to any other risks, since data will not be linked to any identifying information. However, you may choose to participate further by being involved in follow-up assessments of other similar experiences you provide. In these cases, you will be offered the option of being assigned an ID# to be associated with your data, and asked to provide contact information. Once an ID# is assigned, it will be associated with your data. The ID# and associated contact information will be kept separate from the research data and protected.

Potential risks related to your extended participation in the study may include loss of confidentiality, though unlikely. Confidentiality, as indicated, will be protected to the extent that is allowed by law.

Participation and Benefits

Your involvement in this study is completely voluntary and you may withdraw from the study at any time, as indicated previously. Besides your contributing to the evaluation of psychodrama efficacy, which may allow provision of and reimbursement for such services, receiving feedback on the experiences you provide may help you be more effective in providing similar experiences in the future and establish better working relationships with your recipients.

Questions Regarding the Study

If you have any questions about the research study, you may contact the researchers. (Supply email address).

Consent to Participate

Note: Your consent to participate in the basic/limited study is indicated by your submitting the all study materials to the researchers.

For extended participation, to indicate that you accept these terms, that you have read and understood the above statements, and that you give your informed consent to participate, please select “Yes” on either or both statements below.

If you are interested and willing to be contacted for evaluating other experiences, please circle

Yes

And provide your Name and Contact Address here (an ID# will be assigned you for anonymity).

Name (or ID# if assigned):

The following information is not needed if you already have been assigned and ID#.

Indicate how positive you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: capable, resilient, confident, empowered, adaptable, spontaneous, creative, prepared, knowledgeable, energized, and so forth.

My sense of well I am doing is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 2: Distress

Indicate how down you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: uncertain, unprepared, guilty, defensive, ashamed, and so forth.

My degree of distress is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 3: Connectedness

Indicate how close you feel to others in your life. Include experiences of feeling: accepted, connected, supported, belonging, understood, and so forth.

My sense of being connected is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Post-Session

Scale 1:Doing Well

Indicate how positive you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: capable, resilient, confident, empowered, adaptable, spontaneous, creative, prepared, knowledgeable, energized, and so forth.

My sense of well I am doing is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 2: Distress

Indicate how down you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: uncertain, unprepared, guilty, defensive, ashamed, and so forth.

My degree of distress is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 3: Connectedness

Indicate how close you feel to others in your life. Include experiences of feeling: accepted, connected, supported, belonging, understood, and so forth.

My sense of being connected is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 4: Helpfulness

Indicate how helpful the experience/intervention has been for you. Include reactions of feeling: encouraged, supported, better prepared, more knowledgeable, assured, and so forth.

My sense of being helped is:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 5: Harm

Indicate how much harm/hurt the experience/intervention has done you. Include experiences of feeling: wounded, threatened, overwhelmed, caught off guard, coerced, and so forth.

INTRODUCTION You are invited to join a research study to look at the effectiveness of psychodrama. Please take whatever time you need to discuss the study with your family and friends, or anyone else you wish to. The decision to join, or not to join, is up to you. In this research study, we are investigating/testing/comparing/evaluating the results of psychodrama therapy.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN THE STUDY? If you decide to participate you will be asked to fill out 4 scales, one demographic questionnaire, and a checklist before and after a session of psychodrama. We think this will take you 5-10minutes at the start of the session and less than that at the conclusion. The investigators may stop the study or take you out of the study at any time they judge it is in your best interest. They may also remove you from the study for various other reasons. They can do this without your consent. You can stop participating at any time. If you stop you will not lose any benefits.

RISKS This study involves no known risks. There may be risks that we cannot predict.

BENEFITS TO TAKING PART IN THE STUDY It is reasonable to expect the following benefits from this research: that your answers will help us understand what results come from psychodrama. However, we can’t guarantee that you will personally experience benefits from participating in this study. Others may benefit in the future from the information we find in this study.

CONFIDENTIALITY We will take the following steps to keep information about you confidential, and to protect it from unauthorized disclosure, tampering, or damage: ___________ Data will be coded and kept in confidential files so that your answers will not be traceable to you. Numeric data will be aggregated and analyzed at a central location from a number of different locations, but identifiers will have been removed before that occurs. The study is concerned with how psychodrama is or is not effective and is not directed at any particular individual’s reactions to it. Every effort will be made to keep your identity confidential. The only place where a file will exist that contains your name in this study will be in the office where you sign up to participate.

INCENTIVES none

YOUR RIGHTS AS A RESEARCH PARTICIPANT Participation in this study is voluntary. You have the right not to participate at all or to leave the study at any time. Deciding not to participate or choosing to leave the study will not result in any penalty or loss of benefits to which you are entitled, and it will not harm your relationship with your provider.

CONTACTS FOR QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS Call ____________________ at ___________________ or email___________ at ___________if you have questions about the study, any problems, unexpected physical or psychological discomforts, any injuries, or think that something unusual or unexpected is happening.

Contact _____________________________if you have any questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant. Consent of Subject (or Legally Authorized Representative) Signature of Subject or Representative

Date _________________________________________________ [The template for this consent form was taken from the Office for Protection of Research Subjects website of the Department of Health and Human Services in October 2014. You should check your local institution and jurisdiction for other requirements.

For example, if the question is how much you enjoy hiking, and you think it is a little more than 8, you would respond like this:

0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8….|.…9…..….10

Scale 1: Doing Well

Indicate how positive you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: capable, resilient, confident, empowered, adaptable, spontaneous, creative, prepared, knowledgeable, energized, and so forth.

My sense of how well I am doing is: 0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 2: Distress

Indicate how down you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: uncertain, unprepared, guilty, defensive, ashamed, anxious, depressed, and so forth.

For example, if the question is how much you enjoy hiking, and you think it is a little more than 8, you would respond like this: 0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8….|.…9…..….10

Scale 1: Doing Well

Indicate how positive you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: capable, resilient, confident, empowered, adaptable, spontaneous, creative, prepared, knowledgeable, energized, and so forth.

My sense of how well I am doing is: 0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Scale 2: Distress

Indicate how down you are about yourself. Include experiences of feeling: uncertain, unprepared, guilty, defensive, ashamed, anxious, depressed, and so forth.

Indicate how much harm/hurt the experience/intervention has done you. Include experiences of feeling: wounded, threatened, overwhelmed, caught off guard, coerced, and so forth. My sense of being harmed is: 0…..….1…..….2…..….3…..….4…..….5…..….6…..….7…..….8…..….9…..….10

Intervention Fidelity Checklist Check if the following elements/aspects of psychodramatic intervention were present.

I am excited to share with you significant information. Beginning on November 23, 2015, and ending on January 26, 2016 the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting submissions to the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP). This is a searchable online database of mental health and substance abuse interventions. We are reaching out explicitly to encourage the submission of qualifying medication-assisted treatment practices and continuing care management.

SAMHSA developed NREPP to target effective substance abuse and mental health services to the people most in need, and to translate research in these areas more effectively and more rapidly into the general health care system. The purpose of NREPP is to help the public learn more about available evidence-based programs and practices and determine which of these may best meet their needs.

To be considered for review, interventions must meet the following three minimum requirements:

Research or evaluation of the intervention has assessed mental health or substance use outcomes among individuals, communities, or populations OR other behavioral health related outcomes on individuals, communities, or populations with or at risk of mental health issues or substance use problems.
Evidence of these outcomes has been demonstrated in at least one study using an experimental or quasi-experimental design.

Comparative effectiveness trials, in which two interventions, both presumed to be equally effective, are compared, and studies in which the effects of the same intervention on various subpopulations are compared or in which various doses or components of the same intervention are compared will not be reviewed, but may be submitted as supporting documentation.
The results of these studies have been published in a peer-reviewed journal or other professional publication, or documented in a comprehensive evaluation report, published within the previous 25 years (1990 or later).
For further information and questions please visit the NREPP website at: http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/Index.aspx or contact the NREPP staff by email at nrepp@samhsa.hhs.gov or by phone at 1-866-436-7377. You may also contact Mitra Ahadpour related to Medication Assisted Treatment NREPP at 240-276-2134, mitra.ahadpour@samhs.hhs.gov.

Seeing the Mind Behind the Art : People Can Distinguish Abstract Expressionist Paintings From Highly Similar Paintings by Children, Chimps, Monkeys, and Elephants
Angelina Hawley-Dolan and Ellen Winner
Psychological Science published online 3 March 2011 DOI: 10.1177/0956797611400915
The online version of this article can be found at:http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/03/01/0956797611400915